Video Programming Delivers Results for Retailers

Read an excellent summary of the conversion impact that video product demos have on sales for ecommerce. The stats show a low of 30% and a high of 100% increases in conversion rates. Still, these are solely for online volume, and only for product demo videos.

Product demo videos, we believe, should be viewed as a fundamental conversion aid, applied to as many items as possible in the online catalog. However, they are NOT a innovation in product or retail marketing. Instead, product demo videos are simply the next step in rich media imagery, and a necessary response to the evolution of technology and consumer expectations. Our belief is that video product "beauty shots" will just be a normal part of doing business.

However....using video ONLY to show product demo videos is like using a sophisticated laser to cut an finger nail. It uses only one tenth of the power of the medium, and vastly under-delivers against even existing models! Video is a multi-sensory delivery mechanism with an enormous advantage over any other method: it can be used to tell a story to a relatively passive audience. Text can tell stories....but the consumer has to work to find out what the story is about. And Text can't tell stories with the richness of video....at least without 300 pages!

What does this have to do with retail? Communicating that YOUR assortment meets the consumers needs is telling a story! If product demos are simply animated still photos, they don't tell stories. Where's the emotional connection? Where's the call to action? Where is the fundamental principle of marketing communication?